Collision Curse
by Sunny Duck
Summary: Ranma 12 Fruits Basket xover. Ranma, on the run from an angry Akane, bumps into Yuki just as rain starts to fall...
1. The Collision

Collision Curse

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, Ranma ½ or their characters.

Author's Note:

I know that it is unlikely the two anime take place in the same district, but for the purposes of this story, please assume they do. Also, I watch Ranma in English and Fruits Basket in Japanese, which is why only some of the characters have honorifics. I hope you don't mind!

Oh, and I'm Australian. I spell some things differently.

Other than that, please enjoy!

"Thank you for coming with me to do the shopping, Yuki-kun!" Tohru Honda said brightly, her blue green eyes sparking.

"It was nothing, Honda-san. I thought you might need some help as it looks like it is about to rain." The tall, beautiful boy with amethyst eyes and replied with a smile.

The two continued to chat as the approached a corner.

'_Oh, man! Akane is really gonna kill me this time!'_ Ranma Saotome thought frantically as he ran at top speed. Behind him he could hear his enraged fiancée roar "RANMA! Get back here NOW!"

'_Just because I said the soup she was making bore a striking resemblance to toxic waste…'_ the pig tailed martial artist grumbled to himself as he turned a corner, to find himself face to face with two other people. With very little time to react, he managed to dodge the surprised looking brunette, but slammed full on into her male companion. Groceries went flying as both boys sprawled to the ground, winded.

"Sorry, man, didn't see you" Ranma grunted, as he tried to disentangle himself from Yuki.

Just then, it started to rain.

Ranma transformed.

Tohru gave a frightened yelp as the boy still half on top of Yuki changed into a girl.

There was a 'poof!' Yuki transformed into a rat.

Ranma stared down at the rat, which moments earlier, had been a boy. "You too, huh?" she said softly, with sympathy in her eyes.

Just then, she heard Akane yell "RANMA! You are so dead when I catch you!"

Scoping up the rat and the heap of clothes, and completely ignoring the shell-shocked Tohru, female Ranma leapt up onto the roof tops.

"Don't worry, I'll find us some hot water" she told the rat as she bounded confidently from one roof to the next.

"Put me down! What do you think you are doing! Put me DOWN!" Yuki yelled at his captor.

Yuki was surprised the person had not freaked out when he'd transformed. The person had been startled, but not alarmed. But… he was certain the collision had been with a boy. But the person who currently had him in their possession was most definitely female. And what was this about hot water? '_Hmm, maybe **I** should be the one freaking out'_ Yuki thought to himself.

Ranma, on her part, had almost dropped the rat when Yuki had started to yell. "You can talk in that form?" She asked in astonishment.

'_Come to think of it, the Frog Hermit could do that too…'_

"Yes." Yuki snapped. "Put me DOWN!"

"Geez, calm down! We're almost at Ucchan's; we can get the hot water there and dry off. The rain seems to be easing off, so it should be safe to leave with out an umbrella" Ranma explained.

Yuki was still thoroughly confused by the strange girls' odd fixation on hot water.

"I don't care about hot water! Put me down!"

Meanwhile back at the corner, a stunned Tohru was still trying to process what had occurred. Maybe if she talked it through rationally, like Yuki did when he was tutoring her, it would make sense. It worked for Maths…

"There was a boy. He crashed into Yuki-kun. Then, he turned into a girl! Yuki-kun transformed, and then the pig-tailed person of indeterminate gender… KIDNAPPED Yuki-kun! Oka-san! Help me! I don't know what is going on!" Tohru's attempt at rationally talking the problem through ended as a wail.

At this point, an enraged Akane Tendo arrived on the scene. Taking in the scattered groceries and the dazed girl, Akane decided to postpone killing Ranma for the time being and approached the girl. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked softly.

Tohru turned to the stranger with short black hair, and was reassured by the concern in the other girl's brown eyes. "Yuki-kun! He's been kidnapped!" she choked out.

"WHAT!" Akane gasped. "Who is this Yuki? What did his assailant look like?"

Tohru started to cry. Akane put her arm around the shoulder of the distraught girl, murmuring "There, there. It's okay. I'll help you. My name is Akane Tendo. What's yours?"

"Tohru Honda" she said, sniffing.

"Its okay, Tohru. I'll help you find him. Why don't I help you get these groceries – and ourselves! - out of this rain" Akane coaxed, seeing that Tohru was rather shaken from her ordeal.

Tohru nodded, and started collecting the fallen groceries with Akane. Some one was going to help her find Yuki-kun. At least the kidnapper had taken his clothes too… it would've been kind of embarrassing rescuing a naked person…

A/N: So, what do you think? Let me know!

Keep Smiling!


	2. The Curses

Collision Curse – Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma ½ or Fruits Basket.

Ranma, with Yuki in hand, reached Ucchan's okanomiyaki shop as the rain eased to a light drizzle. The red head leaped off the roof, and walked into the restaurant. A girl dressed in navy blue with what appeared to be a huge spatula strapped to her back called out happily "Ranma Honey! What can I get you?"

"Uh, just some hot water for starters…" Ranma said, mouth watering at the thought of Ukyo's great cooking.

"You're soaking wet! You got caught out in the rain without a brolly? Here, you can dry off out the back, while I whip up something for you!"

"Thanks U-chan! What will you have?" Female Ranma asked Yuki, who was in shock at the bizarreness of the situation. He had concluded that his initial impression (that the person who he had collided with had been a guy) was incorrect, and that this girl was just plain strange, kidnapping him, jumping over roof tops, yelling about hot water, and then asking what okanomiyaki he'd prefer!

"An explanation would be good." The rat snapped, regretting it as the spatula wielding chef jumped, staring at the rat. Yuki wished he'd had the presence of mind to keep his mouth shut and pretend to be a normal rat, as Ukyo exclaimed "What the! Oh, another Chinese curse...Please tell me this one isn't out to kill you Ranma honey… Or another fiancée…" she added, glaring at the rat.

"Looks like Spring of Drowned Mouse or Rat, or something… Man, Jusenkyo sure is busy. I had never seen him before I crashed into him in the rain… triggered the curse."

Yuki's heart had almost stopped when the Spatula girl, presumably 'U-chan' had identified his curse as Chinese, and realised the situation was rapidly getting out of hand. At least two people had discovered the secret, and that was bad. Very bad. It meant memory erasure for these two, and may be for Honda-san as well! Yuki couldn't bear it if that happened. Of course, Akito could decide he was a security risk, and make him live in the Main House from now on…

Yuki was jolted back to the present as his captor closed the door behind them with his foot, as he had Yuki in one hand, and a big brass kettle in the other. Ranma set Yuki on the ground, and said "Mind if I go first? I want to get out of these clothes, and I think you'd freak out if I did it in female form". Yuki had no idea what the strange girl was referring to, and was trying to figure it out when Ranma, taking silence as consent, up ended half the contents of the kettle over her head. A split second before the water connected, Yuki transformed back into his human form. A now male Ranma turned to pour water over the rat, but instead was confronted with the sight of Yuki hastily trying to dress himself before the 'girl' saw him naked. Yuki, to his shock, saw the 'girl' was now a guy!

Both males let out yells of shock, and jumped away from each other – unfortunately, U-chan's back room wasn't really all that big, so they only succeeded in crashing into opposite walls. Yuki's legs got tangled up in the trousers he was hastily trying to drag on, and despite his skills as a martial artist, he toppled to the ground with a loud thud.

Ranma, on the other hand, slipped on the puddle he'd made when switching back to normal, and did a spectacular flip and landed on his back, the kettle landing beside him with a clang before rolling away.

Ukyo, out the front, heard the commotion, and shook her head sadly. "Must be another assassin." She concluded. She brightened a second later. "_Much_ better than another fiancée!" With that thought, she continued to add all of Ranma's favourite toppings to the heart shaped okanomiyaki she was preparing, humming happily.

A/N: Sorry this is so short, but I such a bad bout of writers block, that I couldn't even write a letter, and upgrading my CV was torture! It finally broke when inspiration for another story struck, so I've been working on that one, but thought I'd better fill you guys in on what happened next in this one.

I'll try to get chapter three out soon… Akane interviewing Tohru about the identity of the kidnapper!


	3. The Interview

Chapter Three – Collision Curse

Akane helped Tohru pick up the scattered groceries, and wondered where they should go. The dojo wasn't too far away, so she suggested they take shelter there. Tohru agreed, so the duo set off, Akane telling Tohru a little about herself on the way to distract her. Once they arrived, Akane went to the kitchen and found some tea in the pot. She poured Tohru a cup, and the two girls went to the table in the living room and made themselves comfortable.

As Tohru seemed a little calmer now, Akane decided she might as well try to get a bit more information about the abduction. She excused herself, jumped up and went to the kitchen again, grabbed the notebook and pen Kasumi kept in the cupboard for shopping lists before returning to the living room, where Tohru was waiting patiently.

"Okay, Tohru, would you like to tell me what happened at the corner?" she asked carefully, trying not to upset the poor girl any further.

"Um, right." Tohru said, pulling herself together. "Well, you see, Yuki-kun had come with me to help with the shopping, in case it started to rain. We were at the corner when a …._person_… collided with Yuki-kun, and they fell to the ground. Then the …._person_…. jumped up, picked up Yuki-kun, and ran off! Then a few moments later you showed up" Tohru finished.

"Okay, that's a good start," Akane said as she scribbled down the details. "Can you describe Yuki's assailant?"

Tohru hesitated. The person had looked extremely different between one second and another. "Umm, I'm not sure…" she said uncertainly. How was she to help Yuki-kun, if she couldn't even remember simple details about the kidnapping?

"Well, we'll just try and cover the basics. Male or female?" Akane said gently, aware the event must have been rather traumatic for the poor girl.

Tohru just managed to stop herself from replying 'both' and instead thought hard for a moment "I'm not sure…" she said eventually. She replayed the scene in her mind again "When they came around the corner, they appeared to be a boy, but when they were on the ground, I thought it was a girl." Tohru elaborated.

Akane wrote gender and placed a question mark next to it. "That's fine. What about hair colour?"

"I'm not sure… red or black" was the reply. Akane raised an eyebrow – in her opinion, red and black looked rather different, but nonetheless wrote down red/black in her notebook. "Height?"

"Umm…" another tricky one for Tohru. When the person first crashed into Yuki-kun, they were the same height, but when the person had stood up the second time, grabbing Yuki, Tohru and the mystery person had been eye to eye. "Somewhere between my height and Yuki-kun's" she decided was the appropriate response.

"What's Yuki like? Taller than you?" Akane asked. Tohru nodded.

"They must have been strong, if they could lift someone Yuki's height and get away so quickly," Akane mused idly.

Tohru choked on her tea as she realised that Yuki-kun in rat form was a lot easier to abduct, and Akane was bound to get suspicious. "Ah, um, Yuki-kun is very slender, so it's not like he'd be heavy or anything…. But yes, the other person must have been strong…. But Yuki-kun isn't fat… that's not to say he's under nourished…" Tohru babbled desperately, aware that she was only digging herself deeper. Akane only nodded, adding another heading – Victim – and said "Tohru, could you tell me what Yuki looked like at the time of the incident? What he was wearing, and so forth?"

Tohru ground to a halt '_Oh, No!'_ she thought, frantic,_ 'I can't tell her Yuki-kun was a rat when he was abducted! Akane-san has been so nice to me, but I must keep the Sohma Family secret!'_ Aware that the other girl was waiting with her pen poised, Tohru managed "Yuki-kun has silver grey hair… and violet coloured eyes…" which was true in either form. Akane wrote this down, and said "What was he wearing?"

"A Chinese style shirt…" was as far as Tohru got before Akane's head snapped up and she said sharply "Who? Yuki or his abductor?" Tohru, taken aback by the question said "Ano… I meant Yuki-kun, but now that you mention it, the other person was wearing a red Chinese shirt too".

Akane glanced down at her notes, and suddenly, Tohru's muddled answers made perfect sense. Throwing down her pen, she growled "Ranma."

"I beg you pardon?" Tohru asked timidly, a bit unnerved by Akane's abrupt mood change.

Akane sighed and smiled reassuringly at Tohru. "Tohru, did this person have their hair in a pig tail? And was it raining when he crashed into your friend?"

"Yes, they did have a pig tail, and it began raining at around the time of the accident" Tohru said, after a moment's thought.

"Well, that solves the mystery! I know who kidnapped Yuki!" Akane announced. '_Okay, so why would Ranma kidnap Yuki? And where would they have gone?'_ she asked herself silently, oblivious to Tohru's pleased reaction.

A/N: Alas, I would like to spend more time fanfic writing, but Life keeps getting in the way… but fear not, for I have already started Ch 4 at the time of posting!  Keep Smiling!


	4. The Explanation

**Chapter Four: The Explanation **

The two martial artists squared off in defensive poses, staring at one another in disbelief. Yuki was shirtless, and Ranma was dripping wet, but they were deadly serious as they assessed each other as possible threats. Ranma, who was more used to random strangers turning into animals, broke the tense silence. "What are you?!" he demanded. "How can you turn back without hot water?"

"Who are _you_? And what is with this fixation about hot water?!" Yuki shot back. The stranger, by luck or design, was between him and the door.

"Saotome Ranma, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts" the pig tailed boy identified himself.

"Sohma Yuki" came the reply.

Ranma sized up the boy before him. Tall and slender, with a delicate build and somewhat feminine features, Ranma would almost have dismissed him as a threat, but for his stance, which made it abundantly clear that Yuki practiced the Art. Plus, seemed to be able to change form without getting wet. _I know I didn't splash him with any water from the kettle… how did he change back? And why is he acting dumb about the hot water? Surely he can see that I'm cursed too…_A thought struck him

"You ever been to China?" he asked.

Yuki, puzzled, responded "What! No. Why?" He simply did not understand the stranger's seemingly random questions. He noticed that the stranger was looking less tense, but was still in a defensive stance. Yuki responded by relaxing slightly as well but decided to remain alert in case this was a ploy by the stranger – no, his name was Saotome – to get him to drop his guard.

"So you're _not _Jusenkyo cursed?" Ranma asked, to be sure.

"What's that?"

Ranma was confused, but elaborated. "I fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl. When I'm splashed with cold water, I turn into a girl. Hot water turns me back into a boy."

He watched Yuki try to process this information. It was fairly obvious that this person was cursed (that, or Shampoo had slipped more freaky Amazon drugs into his food recently) but this Yuki's curse was not influenced by water temperature. He wondered what the trigger was. It couldn't hurt to ask – the rat was out of the bag, so to speak.

"If you're not a Jusenkyo victim, why'd you transform when it started to rain?"

Yuki eyed Ranma warily, wondering how much he should tell. It seemed that Saotome had been completely open and honest about his affliction, and Yuki's sense of honour was demanding the same of him. A lifetime of keeping his shameful secret battled with a tiny speck of hope. Maybe, there was someone else who was not a Sohma could actually understand … "It wasn't the rain. I change into a rat when I'm hugged by a member of the opposite sex."

"Man, that's rough." Ranma winced. He suddenly felt that maybe his trigger wasn't so bad after all - _Imagine changing every time you were hugged_. He shuddered at the idea. With his numerous fiancées, that kind of trigger would be a nightmare!

Yuki's thoughts were running along a different vein. "That chef, though, she knew about your curse?"

"Yeah. That's U-chan. She makes the best okanomiyaki around" Ranma said, getting slightly side tracked and relaxing completely. Yuki also lowered his arms and asked hesitantly "Is she the only one who knows your secret?"

"Nope. There's a few of us with Jusenkyo curses running around here…" Ranma did not sound exactly thrilled with the situation – resigned was more like it.

"Really?! Ordinary people accept you, even though you are cursed? You live a normal life?" Yuki exclaimed.

Ranma snorted '_My life ain't what most people would call normal'_ but kept the thought to himself, and instead shrugged and said "Well, I've only been like this for a short while, but yeah."

"I've been like this my whole life…" Yuki murmured. Akito's voice floated through his head, sneering, telling him that he would be rejected if people found out about his secret. For the second time in his life, Yuki was being shown that Akito's cynical view of the world wasn't as well-founded as everyone believed. Everybody at the Main House remembered Hatori's experience, how Kanna had been driven away, and Momiji's mother abandoning him. Akito had seemed right after these tragedies. After witnessing Hatori's pain, Yuki had believed Akito - that nothing lay before him except denunciation and misery if the secret got out. But… Kanna had left not when she found out about the curse; but after that confrontation with Akito himself. And Honda-san, even when threatened with memory erasure had smiled and asked to still be his friend. _His_ friend. He'd never really had friends before. He'd never let anyone get too close, always held himself apart. He didn't want to be hurt. He didn't want to be rejected. So he'd pushed the world aside, rejecting it before it could do it to him.

Oblivious to Yuki's thoughts, Ranma continued "People who genuinely care for you accept it… I've managed to wind up with a few too many fiancés, and it hasn't put any of them off … Even though Kodachi and Kuno refuse to accept the obvious…" Ranma was being uncharacteristically philosophical.

The sound of running feet distracted the two martial artists and they turned as one, both instinctively taking defensive stances as the door crashed open.

Akane had guessed that Ranma, in girl form, would probably be looking for hot water, and U-chan's was the closest place to get it from. She simply could not understand why the idiot had taken off with Tohru's friend – Ranma was a lot of things - _stupid being one of them!_ - She thought angrily, but he'd never crashed into someone and then kidnapped them to prevent them telling anyone about his curse before. It wouldn't have worked anyway; he'd left a witness at the scene. Akane and Tohru entered the shop and Ukyo looked up. "Oh, hello Akane." Akane smiled through clenched teeth and replied "Hi Ukyo – have you seen Ranma?"

The chef nodded as she expertly flipped the two okanomiyaki on the grill. "Yeah, he's out the back – there was some fighting earlier on…" she trailed off in surprise as Akane as Tohru looked at each other and then took off towards the back room, Akane in the lead. Ukyo was tempted to follow, but one glance at the okanomiyaki told her it was almost ready – rather than let it burn, she resolved to wait and find out what was going on later.

Akane burst into the room followed by Tohru. The two girls stopped short at the sight that met their eyes. Yuki was still shirtless, and Ranma, while fully clothed, was standing barefoot in a puddle of lukewarm water, in boy form. Both were in defensive stances. Yuki was looking surprised at their entrance, while Ranma was assessing Akane's mood to determine if evasive action was going to be required. Tohru, misinterpreting the situation dashed between the two yelling "No! Please don't fight! Fighting is bad! I'm sure we can –ah!" her words ended in a squeal as her foot slipped in the puddle. Yuki reflexively dived forward to try to catch her, there was a 'poof!' as he transformed when their bodies touched. Tohru braced herself for a nasty meeting with the wooden floor, but someone else had caught her. She looked up into Ranma's blue eyes as she regained her footing. Tohru looked closely at Ranma. _He is certainly a boy_ she thought, _with black hair… but for a minute I could have sworn he was a girl with red hair… and Yuki-kun transformed when they collided…maybe Yuki-kun transformed from shock or weakness?_

"Umm, are you okay there?" Ranma asked. Tohru blushed bright red as she realised she'd been staring. She was bowing and thanking Ranma, while trying to apologise for being clumsy at the same time (the result was rather garbled) when she realised that Akane was pale with shock, and the pig tailed boy was staring at the ground. Or, to be more precise, Yuki in rat form, on the ground.

Yuki sighed.

Tohru moaned "Yuki-kun, I am so sorry! I swore to take the secret to my grave, and all I've done is reveal it to everyone! I am nothing but a burden!" she was quickly heading towards hysterics, and Yuki interrupted "It's alright, Honda-san. I'd already explained the curse to Saotome-san to clear up the misunderstanding at the corner."

Akane had jumped rather violently when Yuki began to talk. Ranma shifted uncomfortably. "This is Sohma Yuki. He's cursed too, but his curse is activated by hugging a person of the opposite gender." Akane, recovering slightly nodded "Umm…okay. I guess that answers how you managed to carry off someone of his size" she managed. Ranma shrugged "Ran into him, and it started raining. I transformed, so did he… and took off to try and find hot water for the pair of us…"

Tohru was still gazing at him. "Um, transformed? Curse?" she squeaked. Akane smiled reassuringly at Tohru, glared at Ranma and said "Please wait here for a moment…I'll explain everything" and left the room. She was back a few seconds later, carefully carrying a glass of water. She turned to Tohru and asked "Is this the boy that ran into Yuki on the corner?"

"Yes." Tohru replied after a moment's hesitation. Akane threw the water over Ranma. Tohru squeaked in shock as he changed into a girl. "What did ya do that for?!" Ranma's female voice demanded shrilly. Ignoring the now red haired girl she asked brightly "Is this the girl that absconded with Yuki?" Tohru nodded, her turquoise eyes huge.

"Ranma suffered an accident while on a training trip in China. He fell into one of the cursed springs at Jusenkyo. When he is splashed with cold water - or caught out in the rain without an umbrella - he turns into a girl. Hot water will reverse the effects and turn him back to normal." Akane explained to the bewildered Tohru.

Grumbling to herself, Ranma retrieved the kettle, and dumped the dregs over her head. The water was still warm enough to change her back into a boy.

Akane turned and glanced down at Yuki. Tilting her head to the side she asked "What's the trigger to undo your transformation? Do you need us to get anything?"

"No thank you Akane-san. We revert back to our normal forms after a short time."

"Really? How long does it take? I hope you don't mind me asking…"

Yuki shook his head. "No, its okay." _For now_ a tiny voice in his head whispered. Unbidden, the memory of his childhood playmates having their memories wiped rose up. He dismissed it and started to explain "The length of time varies-" was as far as he got before his sudden reversion back to human interrupted. Faces flaming, Tohru and Akane bolted out of the room to give Yuki some privacy to put his clothes back on.

The boys emerged a few minutes later, dry and fully dressed as Ukyo served up the okanomiyaki.

Ukyo smiled and said "Great timing, Ranma honey!" as she placed before him. She continued "I just gave the rat the most popular toppings, because I didn't know what he'd prefer. Have you found out why he wants to kill you yet?" Ranma, who appeared to be engaged in an attempt to break the world record for fastest time to eat an okanomiyaki, was unable to respond around the huge mouthful he'd just tackled. Turning to Yuki she appraised him and winked. "You certainly look better now, sugar! You looked like a… drowned rat… before. Ranma's is on the house, and if you don't kill him, I'll give you a ten percent discount."

A/N: _I apologise to all my readers for taking so long to get this chapter out. My muse went on holiday, and wouldn't come back! She's back now and being put to work! I'd like to thank all those kind people who reviewed - especially Seshut (my beta) and Cylon One who has reviewed all chapters so far! Have a Merry Christmas!_


	5. The Encounter

Chapter Five – The Encounter

_Somewhere in the Mountains…_

Kyo sat with his back to a tree, brooding over his last encounter with Yuki. The damn rat had beaten him with contemptuous ease, and it rankled. He had tried so hard, damn it, and Yuki hadn't even had the decency to take his challenge seriously.

He would change that. A week training in the mountains was just the trick. Upon his return, Yuki would be forced to take him seriously. He could do it. He WOULD do it! Determination surged through him. Springing to his feet, fists clenched he yelled "This time I will defeat you, Yuki!"

Kyo was startled, when at the same moment, another voice close by shouted almost exactly the same words, although they were vowing vengeance on someone named Ranma.

Ryoga had been going over the last fight with Ranma in his head. The pig-tailed martial artist had disappeared after only a few blows (read as: Ryoga had taken off in the wrong direction and had been unable to locate Ranma.) He had trained hard, and was sure it would pay off in the next time he fought Ranma – he if could simply find Ranma to fight of course. He was stronger now, and faster. This time he would show Ranma. This time he would avenge himself! "This time I will defeat you, Ranma!" He yelled to the heavens – just as another voice nearby proclaimed its desire to defeat Yuki.

Kyo cautiously peered around the tree he had been leaning against. He had been certain that he was alone in the forest, but this clearly wasn't the case. He saw another boy about his age with black hair held out of his eyes by a yellow and black spotted bandana, wearing a yellow shirt. A pack lay against a nearby tree, and the boy was looking in completely the wrong direction, muttering "I was sure I heard someone over there…"

Kyo, never one to waste time on pleasantries demanded "Whoever you are, get lost." The other boy jumped in surprise, and whirled around, fists flying into a defensive position.

"I already AM lost, idiot!" Ryoga snapped back without thinking.

Kyo shrugged and sneered "Well, go find yourself somewhere else. I need to train."

Ryoga shook his head "I'm trying to find that coward Saotome, who fled in the middle of a man-to-man fight!" He explained.

"So find him and beat him." Kyo suggested, bored. He didn't have time to listen to some one else's problems. Not when he had enough of his own.

"I CAN'T find him! You can't even begin to imagine the horrors I've endured, the pain I've experienced during my long search! But this time… This time I'll show him! I've trained hard. I know I can do it… I know I can beat him!" Ryoga ranted. Taking a deep breath, he continued "I WILL defeat him! I'll avenge my pride and punish him for the suffering his cowardice has put me through…" he trailed off, chest heaving with emotion. "CURSE YOU RANMA!" He roared, and slammed his fist into the nearest tree… which splintered into a million pieces.

To say Kyo was surprised at this display would be an understatement. Thunderstruck would be closer to the mark. He had never seen someone display such raw strength before – not even his Master, who focussed on style as the path to victory, not brute strength. Even Yuki fought with grace and style more than strength. That's not to say Yuki was weak. The damn rat held back on him, if the beating Kyo got from the half awake Yuki was any indication. But with this technique … Kyo's heart began to pound. If this technique could be taught, he would win for sure!

"Can you teach me to do that?" he blurted out.

Kyo's question jerked Ryoga from his pleasant daydream of defeating his arch-rival and pounding him into a pulp. He'd forgotten for a moment he'd had an audience for his display. "I thought you didn't want me around?" The lost boy said scathingly.

Kyo was now regretting his rude outburst earlier. "Look. I need to defeat that damn rat – my cousin - and take my rightful place among" he almost said the Jyuunishi, but stopped and said instead "My family. I, too, need to avenge my pride. If you help me, I'll help you."

"How?"

"You teach me that technique, and I'll help you find this Saotome guy, and make sure he stays until the fight is over this time."

Ryoga considered this for a moment, sizing up the boy in front of him. While he looked strong, and was obviously a competent martial artist, Ryoga wasn't sure if this person could be taught his Bakusai Tenketsu technique… but then he looked into Kyo's ruby eyes. He could see the determination in those eyes – the quest to prove one's self, to assert your self worth, and defeat your opponent no matter what it took. Ryoga recognised it, because he could feel the same flame burning in his heart. This boy was a kindred spirit. Ryoga made up his mind.

"It's a deal."

The two boys shook hands.

On the way to their respective homes, Yuki and Ranma sneezed.


	6. The Confession

Chapter Six – The Confession

It was getting very late when Yuki and Tohru finally made it home. The sun had set, and the shadows around Shigure's house looked strange and twisted. Tohru shivered as the cold breeze whispered across her skin - she was very glad that Yuki was with her. The warm yellow light bathing the porch was a vivid contrast to the evening gloom.

Yuki had been very quiet on the way home, and Tohru guessed the afternoon's events were weighing on his mind. She herself had been bubbling with questions about Saotome-san's curse, but knowing Yuki wouldn't know the answers she hadn't voiced many of her questions.

Yuki had been wrestling with his conscience ever since leaving Ucchan's. His upbringing was warring with his experience. He had been told time and again, that should his secret get out he must alert a senior member of the Sohma family immediately. He had done so as a child, and that had resulted in memory erasure for his playmates.

However...when Honda-san had dramatically learnt of the curse, she had been allowed to retain her memory. He considered it likely that was only because the Sohma Family had a hold over her – she was staying with them, and easy to deal with if she became a problem or revealed the secret. Saotome-san and Akane-san had no connection to the family, and there was no reason or obligation for Yuki to protect them.

Yuki broke into a cold sweat as a sudden realisation hit - if he confessed, Honda-san could have her memory erased as her actions had revealed the secret to Akane-san! It was an accident, and Akane-san had been very understanding, and it was perhaps likely she would have found out from Saotome-san.

Nonetheless, two people had found out. The Sohma secret had been revealed.

But they had a secret, a curse, as well. Did that change things?

Yuki considered this development. He supposed the best he could hope for was a 'if you don't tell anyone, we won't tell anyone' deal.

The other thing Yuki was struggling with was a revelation that had turned his world upside down. There were other people in the world with a curse! He was still trying to come to grips with the concept. To find that he wasn't as alone as he'd been led to believe! He had grown up thinking there were only twelve people in the world like him, but from Saotome-san's remarks, that was far from true.

Saotome-san, Akane-san and even Ukyo-san has seen him as a rat, and had taken it in their stride (even though he had allowed Ukyo-san to think he was the victim of this Jusenkyo curse – it hadn't seemed worth the bother of trying to explain an entirely new curse to her). Ukyo had been more interested in engaging in verbal sparring with Akane (that had, for some reason, resulted in Ranma being hit over the head with a mallet) than inquiring after the boy that turned into another animal. Yuki shook his head. He never thought he's see the day when his curse was ignored in favour of an argument over cooking!

Consumed by his musings, he entered the house, slipping off his shoes, not really registering Honda-san singing out "We're home!"

Shigure slid the door of his study open and called "Ah, Tohru-kun! I was starting to worry about my precious flower being out so late! "

Regarding the pair with his head titled to the side he said in a puzzled tone "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course" Yuki said shortly. He was not in the mood for dealing with his cousin's silliness.

"But I thought you two went shopping?" the novelist asked.

It was rather unfortunate for Yuki that it was this point in time that Tohru realised that the groceries were at the dojo. She clapped her hand to her mouth and gasped "Ah! Yuki kun! I forgot to go back and get the groceries after the okanomiyaki!"

Yuki suddenly realised that he didn't have the faintest idea where the weekly shopping had ended up. Before he could come up with a reasonable explanation – or any explanation - Shigure was in full flight.

"Ah, Yuki-kun! You took Tohru-kun on a date, instead of shopping, didn't you! Shame on you! If you are going to make up a cover story, you should at least make up a believable one – or one that you won't be caught out in the minute you get home! And keeping Tohru-kun out so late – I may have to set a curfew on the pair of you, if I can't trust you!"

Yuki rolled his eyes. He was NEVER going to hear the end of this, ESPECIALLY as he lacked a good explanation or at least a believable lie.

"I am incredibly sorry, Shigure-san! I will go directly back to the dojo and fetch them!" Tohru offered, truly distressed at the oversight.

"You took Tohru-kun to a dojo on a date? My, my, Yuki, that wasn't very romantic... I may have to get Aya to talk to you about the finer points of seduction..."

After half an hour of Shigure's hyperbole, Yuki cracked. "For the twenty-third time, I did NOT take Honda-san on a date to a dojo! She went there with Akane-san after I collided with another person and turned into a rat!" Yuki bit out.

For several seconds there was blissful silence.

Then the silence became uncomfortable when Yuki suddenly realised what he'd said.

Glancing at Shigure, he saw his guardian had frozen and was staring at him with a mixture of shock and resignation.

"Go on." A suddenly serious Shigure urged when Yuki didn't continue. "Tell me what happened."

Yuki took a deep breath, and started to tell his cousin what had occurred.

After Shigure had been filled in about the dramatic events of the afternoon, he sat in grim silence for a full minute. Yuki waited for his cousin's verdict, outwardly calm, but under the cool exterior, his stomach was churning. Unable to sit still, Honda-san got to her feet and quietly left the room. A few seconds later, the kettle in the kitchen was switched on, and the unmistakable sounds of tea being prepared drifted to where the two Sohma men knelt facing each other across the low table.

Shigure got to his feet "I'm calling Hatori."

The bottom fell out of Yuki's stomach. He concentrated on keeping his face expressionless.

Shigure inwardly sighed. He hated to see Yuki withdraw from the world – Tohru-kun had been drawing him out of his shell and Shigure had been watching, secretly delighted, as Yuki changed. He was worried that this little episode may undo all of Tohru-kun's good work.

But in a grave situation like the one currently before him, the rules must be followed. Two strangers without any connection to the Sohma family had discovered the secret. Additionally, if Yuki's wild tale was to be believed – and Shigure was having trouble accepting this – there were other curses in the world.

That was the other reason for calling Hatori. He wanted his old friend to come and check up on his two young charges to confirm they were not delirious and hallucinating the whole thing...


End file.
